*** Message from James (Oblivion) ***

Hi all!
After a dismal December as far as record low turnouts for gigs and slow trading Oblivion is staring down the barrel of untimely demise.
The dream is nearly dead and Auckland risks losing another rock /metal bar / Live venue to the pages of time and memory.

THERE IS ONE MORE CHANCE, ONE LAST HOPE, AND YOU CAN HELP SAVE IT.

Please, if you love Oblivion, and dont want to lose it make an effort to come out this weekend and buy a few drinks. You dont have to spend all your rent money, but if you come and buy a couple of drinks, you could help make the difference.
I dont want to close the place down, but as it is, I cant pay the lease, and that means I will have no choice.
We are open thursday, friday, saturday this week, come along on any night and show your support.
At the very least, if this is going to be our last weekend, lets make it a fuken wild one!

Gig details as follows

Thursday;
This theory Of Static & Detox
8pm open, $5 entry

Friday;
Reverence & Fuser
8pm open, $10 entry

Saturday
Legacy Of Dissorder, Fractured & Guests
8pm Open, $10 entry.

If we can get good turnouts over the weekend I can keep it going, but the fight wont be over. We will need to keep the pace up over January to give me a hope of restructuring and bringing the bar back to a secure trading level.
Oblivion means a lot to me, I have met so many great people here, I have seen so many wicked bands and I have had so many wicked nights with all of you. I dont want the dream to end, I will fight for it, fight to keep a place that you can all call home open as long as it is possible. Please fight with me, Oblivion is not “my bar” it is all of ours.
If you have any suggestions for how I can make the bar better,bring more people or generally make more trade, I am all ears. Please feel free to send me a message throught the Oblivion myspace page.

Thanks to everyone who has been to Oblivion since we opened, to everyone who reposts this message and to everyone who comes along over the weekend.

James

Veteran Kiwi metal overlords SUBTRACT hit the road starting this week to promote their latest and greatest slab of no-nonsense pure heaviness ‘Winning Hearts and Minds’. Fitter, tighter and more battle-ready than ever before - the titanic Auckland 4-piece are set to decimate audiences the length and breadth of Aotearoa with their strongest material to date. Limited, tour-exclusive copies of the new album, with glossy transparent inlays and individual numberings will be available at all shows on the tour, along with a brand new t-shirt design. Purchase a t-shirt, CD and entry to the show at the same time and save!

In other Subtract news, the band have launched an updated, improved MySpace page, complete with two tracks from the new album and also the brand spanking new video for the song ‘Dirty Paradise’ - be sure to check it all out at Subtract’s Myspace.

Full tour dates below and in our gig guide

Thursday January 8th - Phat Club, Nelson (with Nizarm)
Friday January 9th - The Adelaide, Wellington (with Set On End, Fire and Nort)
Saturday January 10th - Basement Bar, New Plymouth (with Set On End, Dormitabo and The Black)
Sunday January 11th - Bar Mode, Palmerston North (with Set On End, Cage Demise and Pariah)
Friday January 16th - BIG DAY OUT, Auckland (11:30am on main stage)
Saturday January 17th - Chaos HQ, Tauranga (with Casus Inflamed and Coffinfeeder)
Friday January 23rd - Al’s Bar, Christchurch (with Vixen Execution and Dissolution)
Saturday January 24th - Saints and Sinners, Invercargill (with Osmium, Sacrament and Flesh Gates)
Friday January 30th - Transmission Room, Auckland (with Cobra Khan, The House of Capricorn, Set On End, Such Is Life)
Saturday January 31st - Zone Bar, Whangarei (with Cebora and Septicide)

Hot on the heels of the band’s recently released album ‘Punk Rock Guilt’, BRANT BJORK & THE BROS arrive in New Zealand for the first time in February 2009 for a four date tour across both islands.

Hailing from Palm Desert, California where he began gigging at the age of 13, Bjork formed legendary Stoner rock outfit KYUSS with locals Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri, who both went on to form QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. KYUSS was signed to Elektra and became the first stoner rock band to achieve international success by spearheading a musical movement that brought heavy and psychedelic sounds back to rock and roll and served as a prototype for all “Desert / Stoner rock”.

In 1996, having left KYUSS and the desert, before moving back to his natural habitat once more, Bjork hooked up again with Homme to begin the legendary Desert Sessions saga and work on what would become QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. However, Brant decided to take the road less travelled and rock with his surf buddies in FU MANCHU; an adventure which took him into the studio for five records and around the world for four years.

Feeling the need to embark on his own personal musical journey , in 1999 Brant released his first solo record ‘Jalamanta’. Many more solo records followed during the years following until he found The Bros. Being an independent artist with no shame and a keen sense of humour, Brant Bjork took the term ‘Punk Rock Guilt’ and simply let it represent his personal Rock-n-Roll freedom.

‘Punk Rock Guilt’ was recorded and produced by long time friend, Dave Raphael, in his fully analogue basement studio. The session began with a handful of riffs and an arsenal of premium tequilas and whiskies, as well as other creative condiments. Dave rolled 2-inch tape and Brant, in his classic session style, performed all instrumentation on the spot and arranged 90% of the songs while actually in the studio, resulting in a very direct, no frills rock n roll record and upon mastering, the highly respected engineer Dave Collins personally expressed to Brant that the record sounded like it was recorded in 1971. For Brant… mission accomplished!

Brant Bjork & The Bros have toured for much of the past five years all over Europe, the States, Canada and Australia with their live shows becoming recognised as over two full hours of the best live rock and roll going - and as one publication put it “The closest thing we’ll get to seeing the Hendrix Experience”. Don’t miss this trip down psychedelic lane! NZ Tour dates below:

Wed 25 Feb 2009 - Al’s Bar, Christchurch w/ SECOND GEAR GRIND
Thu 26 Feb 2009 - Arc Cafe, Dunedin w/ SOULSELLER
Fri 27 Feb 2009 - Bodega, Wellington w/ LORD OF TIGERS
Sat 28 Feb 2009 - Transmission Room, Auckland w/ THE HOUSE OF CAPRICORN 

In the summer of 2006, Californian Hardcore outfit COMEBACK KID attacked NZ shores, with sold out shows across the North Island - a feat seldom achieved from bands based within the hardcore scene. January 2008 will see the band return for another tour with shows in Auckland, Napier and Christchurch.

COMEBACK KID’s latest album ‘Through the Noise’ was recorded in Germany and features tracks from the band’s studio albums ‘Wake The Dead’, ‘Turn It Around’, and ‘Broadcasting…’ as well as a bonus DVD of the band performing in Germany and a documentary. Tour dates for the NZ shows are as follows:

Wed 7 Jan 2009 - Auckland, Whammy bar (R18) w/ ANTAGONIST A.D, BRICK VS FACE, LOS MUERTOS
Thu 8 Jan 2009 - Napier, Asher’s Hall (AA) w/ DAUNTLESS, RICKY BOBBY
Fri 9 Jan - Auckland, Transmission room (AA) w/ ANTAGONIST A.D, BRICK VS FACE, DIE ALONE
Sat 10 Jan - Christchurch, Civic (AA) w/ VORPAL BLADE, THE RED CORNER, ONE LEFT STANDING

Pre sale tickets can be purchased at Real Groovy and Cosmic Corner. Door sales $25.

Auckland Metal band FUELSET has posted the following update detailing the band’s plans for 2009: “FUELSET are currently filming two new videos to be released in Jan 2009! You will be able to have your say and decide which song one of them is for once the website is up so listen carefully to the mp3’s and when the time comes vote for you favorite!”

“We are currently planning an extensive tour of NZ for 2009 it will take place during April and May 2009 and will cover all the major citys as well as some much smaller towns! There will also be a way to invite FUELSET to your town once the website is up! FUELSET will be back in the studio in Feb/March 2009 recording two new tracks for release to coincide with the tour.”

NZRock.com recently interviewed FUELSET guitarist Joe Murdie. Check out the interview here.

Veteran NZ metal legends SUBTRACT will be hitting the road in January to promote their newest, heaviest and downright dirtiest recording to date ‘Winning Hearts And Minds’ which is being released on New Years Day 2009. A more fearsomely lethal and tight unit than ever before, SUBTRACT will be coming to a town near you during the height of summer, with tour dates as follows:

Thu 8 Jan 2009 - Phat Club, Nelson
Fri 9 Jan 2009 - The Adelaide, Wellington
Sat 10 Jan 2009 - Basement Bar, New Plymouth
Sun 11 Jan 2009 - Bar Mode, Palmerston North
Fri 16 Jan 2009 - Big Day Out, Auckland
Sat 17 Jan 2009 - Chaos HQ, Tauranga
Fri 23 Jan 2009- Al’s Bar, Christchurch
Sat 24 Jan 2009 - Saints and Sinners, Invercargill
Thu 29 Jan 2009 - AFC City Clubrooms, Gisborne
Fri 30 Jan 2009 - Transmission Room, Auckland
Sat 31 Jan 2009 - Zone Bar, Whangarei

The first 666 copies of ‘Winning Hearts And Minds’ will be sold at tour shows only and will be individually numbered with a bonus video. The song ‘Hell’ from the new album can be heard at at SUBTRACT’s Myspace page here.

Lower Hutt based Drone/Doom Metal band BLACK BONED ANGEL will perform a one off show at Auckland’s Whammy Bar venue on Saturday 13 December. The band is the project of Campbell Kneale (BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL, OHM, LUGOSI, WITH THROATS AS FINE AS NEEDLES) and has so far released two studio albums ‘Bliss And Void Inseparable’ (2006) and ‘The Endless Coming To Life’ (2008) as well as several EPs.

Heavy Metal magazine Terrorizer has described BLACK BONED ANGEL as “the heaviest slab of recorded sound on the planet” so make sure you check out this rare opportunity to catch the band live!

The final list of acts who will be performing at the BIG DAY OUT has just been announced and includes the experimental FANTOMAS. Joining Mike Patton will be Buzz Osborne on guitar (MELVINS), Trevor Dunn on bass (MR BUNGLE) and Dale Crover on drums (MELVINS).

Other artist announced in the final line up are WORLD WAR FOUR, WETA, JUST ONE FIX, ANTIFORM, STATE OF MIND,SON OF DAVE, THE TUTTS, BIONIC PIXIE, CLAP CLAP RIOT, AUTOZAMM, AN EMERALD CITY, HONEY CLAWS, THE MOTS, QUAY STREET SOCIAL CLUB DJS, KOLAB 

Tickets are on sale now and are available from Ticketmaster and Real Groovy.

NZRock.com has the ultimate giveaway for all you NZ Rockers out there - a Big Day Out 09 prize pack comprising 2x tickets to the Big Day Out festival at Mt Smart Stadium on 16 January 2009 as well as a !!SIGNED!! Bullet For My Valentine CD who are performing at this event. To enter this competition simply email your name and address using the form on our “Contact” page. This competition closes on Friday 19 December 2008. The winner will be contacted by email.

This years Big Day Out boasts a mighty impressive line-up including:
NEIL YOUNG, SERJ TANKIAN, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, THE PRODIGY, ARCTIC MONKEYS, DROPKICK MURPHYS, THE MINT CHICKS, SUBTRACT, THE DATSUNS, ELEMENO P, THE LIVING END, LUGER BOA, COBRA KHAN.

Big Day Out 09 is being held on 16 January 2009 at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster and Real Groovy. For more information check out the official Big Day Out website.

Full Line Up:
NEIL YOUNG, THE PRODIGY, ARCTIC MONKEYS, THE TING TINGS, TV ON THE RADIO, TIKI TAANE, MY MORNING JACKET, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, HEADLESS CHICKENS, THE BLACK SEEDS, THE DATSUNS, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, ELEMENO P, NESIAN MYSTIK, PENDULUM, THE LIVING END, SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM, LUGER BOA, COBRA KHAN, LADI 6, THE NAKED AND FAMOUS, SERJ TANKIAN, BLACK KIDS, HOT CHIP, LUPE FIASCO, DROPKICK MURPHYS, HOLY GHOST!, Z*TRIP, PEE WEE FERRIS, ZANE LOWE, THE MINT CHICKS, P-MONEY, BRAND NEW MATH, CORNERSTONE ROOTS, THE DHDFD'S, ETHICAL, GEORGE & QUEEN, THE HORSEMAN FAMILY, SIDEKICKNICK, SUBTRACT.

And more to come……